While effective, leaf blowers generally and deservedly draw ire from neighbors for being loud and polluting. The EPA has cracked down on emissions and noise laws, so new blowers are built with effective mufflers and there are now electric models available. For efficient yard-clearing, however, a high-powered gas blower like the Jet by Troy-Bilt is ideal.

In a new book, photographer Mary Gaudin gives readers an intimate tour of New Zealand's modernist houses, offering a look at the way residents have lived in and loved each one. From worn-in Eames lounge chairs to distinct midcentury paneling, Gaudin's details provide a metaphorical dusting-off for a cast of beloved homes.

Earthworld Architects & Interiors, based in Pretoria, the South African capital, was hired to design a coffee shop for the Foghound Interactive Coffee Company outside Johannesburg with used shipping containers. The 3,165-square-foot shop, which includes a showroom for the company's coffee machines, was completed in July 2014.